THE shocking news that one of Loughborough’s most exciting shops, the Left Legged Pineapple, is about to close its doors is yet another nail in the coffin for music lovers.

I’m sure everyone has their own memories of the store, and indeed, the first album they purchased there.

But for me, it was about the atmosphere.

The trawling through albums, the homely greeting, the song that lured you to the counter, to ask what is playing, and then happily part with your wages without batting an eyelid.

I mean, come on, let’s face it, you hardly get the same treatment from the supermarkets. You’re lucky if you get a smile let alone an answer to your question.

For me, a good record shop is as good as the people who run it.

These music Einstein’s, with an air of music snobbery and a degree of knowledge far more expansive than the pages of NME, are the true heroes of the independent record store.

They share their love, they pass on their passions and they are not afraid to speak out if you’re caught with the latest Celine Dion album. It was for my Mum, honest!

These people, like characters from a Nick Hornby novel, are the bread and butter of the music shop.

Although, low and behold, like the music that made them, they are desperately fading into cyber space.

“There is a huge change in the way that music has been appreciated,” said Jason, owner of the store for the last 22 years.

“Ten years ago, people were queuing to buy records but now they can get them from a number of different outlets.

“In fact, people are not born to buy records or CDs anymore. If someone is interested in Nirvana, they will download all their albums rather than give the album the attention it deserves.”

Jason believes this type of mentality is crippling the experience.

“It meant more back then,” he added. “You weren’t just buying the record, you were buying the artwork and the lyrics. Now our views to music are very sterile. We are just downloading files off our computers and it lacks that mystic and the essence of what rock n roll was all about.”

But it seems we just can’t stop.

Music download sites, such as iTunes, have more than 700,000 songs with 85 million already downloaded since its launch in 2003.

At 79p each, it’s no wonder the independents are screaming.

To top this off, it is estimated that more than 500,000 music tracks are downloaded illegally each year.

And that’s before we count how many record sales are snatched by Virgin, HMV and your local supermarkets.

“At least 1,000 record shops have gone in the last few years,” said Jason. “There are probably only about 100 left in the entire country and most of them will be closing as soon as their leases run out.”

Charlie, who has been collecting records since age 11 and is the Pineapple’s longest employer of 18 years, said: “This place is almost like a museum. It would be nice just to leave it as it is and open it again in 10 or 15 years to show people what it used to be like.”

But its closure and thousands like it, are not only affecting music lovers.

In Leicestershire, there are more than 200 local bands all trying to make it in the overly competitive music industry.

One of these bands, ICTIS, a punk band from Charnwood, who have been together more than seven years and sell their records via Left Legged, told the Echo that without the independents many up and coming bands will go under.

John Murrey, manager of the band, said: “It is so important that independent shops remain because a young band can go and spend £500 to £1,000 in the studio to record a single and then where are they going to sell it?”

John believes that 15,000 of the bands album sales came from gigs and the independent stores and believes the Internet is a hard place to get noticed.

“Independent stores get independent bands recognised and without them, they are killing young bands off before they can get heard.”

Adam, member of ICTIS, also believes their bands “inspiration” came from artists they discovered in independent stores.

In conclusion, the loss of Left Legged will leave a void that cannot be filled. And once it is gone, it is unlikely that anyone, ever again, will fill its shoes.

If this is the future then, who is next? Will our High Streets be filled with empty units, boarded windows and a mass of top-named stores that makes our town look exactly like everywhere else? If Left-Legged is going, after 22 years, I think the answer is yes!